Arizmendi

I had an early Sunday morning and was happy the Inner Sunset allows me to stat it in a very European way: I went to a bakery! They are scarce, but the famous Arizmendi's bakery is just a 3 minutes walk from my desk. Arizmendi? Yes, it is a worker-owned co-op bakery and they honor the Basque promoter of the co-operative movement in Spain, Father José María Arizmendiarrieta Madariaga (or: Arizmendi). It is a cool concept: the bakery is worker-owned, everybody gets the same pay, people rotate in jobs (baking, accounting), and profit is shared. They are a spin-off from another co-op, the famous Cheeseboard that started off in Berkeley in 1967. It makes me happy that they are still in business, and obviously quite successful.

Honestly, my heart goes out more for the democratic business idea than for their fancy pastries (e.g. the "pear ginger cranberry scone"). I simply bought a sourdough baguette as this is all I crave for: an honest bread without sugar. And that wish was satisfied! I seldomly had such good bread in the US. So, I sit down in the window armchair, munch the bread and read the San Francisco Chronicle: John McCain has critisized Obama's stimulus bill as being "socialistic" (the ultimate offence). Well then, what has been so good about Corporate America? Come on, Mr. McCain, have a bite!